Potato-cutter



(No Model.) 2 sheets- Sheen 1.

W. E. GANEDY. POTATO GUTTER.

No.'343,983. Patenteg/June 22, 1886.

WTNESSS INVENTOR i-l Ca/nedy,

(No Model.)

IW. E' GANEDY. 2 sheensfsneet 2.

PoTATo GUTTER. l

Patented June 22, 1886.

WITNESSES INVENTOR m Y0/Moby M ATTORNEYS N. PETERS. Pmwlilhngnpmr,wasmngtun. D, C.

UNITED STATES PATnNT muon.

VILLIAM E. OANEDY, OF ROCHESTER, -MINNESOTA. f

POTATO-CUTTER.

SPBCLFICATIN forming` part of Letters Patent No. 343,983, dated June 22,1886.

Application filed February 10, 1395. Serial No. 155,548. (No model.)

To all whom if may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. OANEDY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rochester, in the county of Olmsted and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Cutters; andl do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference markedthereon, which form apart of this specication.

Figure l of the drawings is a vertical sectional view of my device. Fig.2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is also a vertical sectional view,and Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view, of the same.

This invention is a device to cut potatoes for the purpose of planting;and it consists in securing above the cutter-knives, hereinafterdescribed, a hopper made in sections arranged side by side, and adaptedto separate more or less widely at their lower ends, to allow potatoesof different sizes to be forced through the hopper to the cutter-knives.The sections are pivoted near their upper ends, and coil-springs arearranged toreturn the sections to their normal positions after havingtheir lower ends forced apart by the potatoes.

The invention further consists in the peculiar construction andarrangement of the cutter frame and knives.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the cutter-frameomposed ofthe upper ring, a, and the similar parallel lower ring, a. The rings arepreferably made of plate metal, and are connected, preferably, alongtheir inner edges by a suitable web, a2. The lower ring is provided withopenings a3, by which the cutter-frame may be bolted over thereceiving-opening of a planting-machine.

c are four equidistant bosses on the upper surface of the ring a,provided with vertical threaded openings,in which screw the lower endsof the four similar vertical standards, B. The upper ends ofthestandards are threaded, and have upon them the rectangular washers b,secured at suitable heights by means of nuts above and below them, asshown.

C is a cutter-blade running within and diametrically across thecutter-frame, its ends being secured by proper means between the rings aand a at points below two opposite standards B.

C C are two cutter-blades, which have their outer ends secured betweenthe rings at points below opposite standards, and their inner endsabutting on opposite sides against the middle ofthe blade C. The area ofthe central opening of the frame is thus divided into quadrants.

If preferred, four cutter-blades may be used, arranged to have theirinner ends ineetin the axis of the cutter-frame, the said ends beingbeveled, so as to interlock and prevent lateral motion.

D is the hopper, composed of the four similar sections, d, standing sideby side, but having their edges slightly separated. Each section hasnear each of its lateral edges, at a proper distance below its upperedge, a horizontal pin that pivots iu a corresponding opening in a nut,b, on one of the standards B, the approximate upper corners being cutaway to allow room for the nuts between them.

d d are hooks on the outer sides of the sections, situated centrallybetween and higher than the pivot-points.

E are vertical coil-springs,\vith their upper ends engaged over saidhooks, and their lower ends engaging staples e on the ring a..

F are chains,with their outer ends connected to the staples e, and theirinner ends connected to staples f on the outer'surfaces of the sections,as shown. These chains do not allow the edges of the sections to strikeagainst each other when the springs act. In practice a rubber bandsurrounds the hopper at a proper point and re-enforces the action of thesprings.

The potatoes may be forced through the hopper either by hand or by aplunger automatically actuated, and the potatoes, after passing throughthe cutter-frame, may fall either into a receiving-vessel or into tubesarranged in a planting-machine and be fed to the planting mechanismthereof.

lVhen the device is attached to a plantingmachine, the arrangement ofthe sections of the hopper and the cutter-knives will cause the feed tobe equal through the quadrants between the knives.

IOCY

rIhe operation of the device is evident from the foregoing description.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by LettersPatent isl. A device for cutting potatoes for planting, consisting of abase having suitable cutting'knives, and a hopper above the sameconsisting of hinged sections forming a hollow cone, and springs to holdthese conic sections in position, but to permit them to yield, as setforth.

2. The combination of the lower knife-supporting frame and its kniveswith the upper ring, the hopper-supporting pivots, the hollow eonicsections, and springs for holding the lower ends of such sectionstogether, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with thehopper formed of yielding sections, of theretaining-connections F, to prevent the lower ends of the hoppersections from vapproaching too closely, as set forth. Y

4. The combination, with the hopper-sections, of the springs E, attachedto said sections above their pivots,and to the base of the structure,substantially as shown.

5. The combination of the rings a and a', the knives secured between andextending across said rings, and the spring-hopper placed centrallyabove said knives, as set forth.

In testimony WhereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. CANEDY.

Vitnesses:

PHILIP G. MASI, E. H. BATEs.

